A Virtual Universe (VU) is a computer-based simulated world or environment; other terms for VU's include metaverses, “3-D Internet” and Virtual World, and VU will be understood to represent any of these environments. Users inhabit and traverse a VU, and interact with other VU users, through the use of an avatar, a graphical representation of the user often taking the form of a cartoon-like human though any graphic image may be utilized. In order to participate within or inhabit a VU a user creates an agent which functions as the user's account, and upon which the user builds an avatar tied to an inventory of assets the user owns in the VU and associated with the agent.
VU assets, avatars and anything presented to a user as visual information comprise Universally Unique Identifiers (UUID's) tied to geometric data distributed to users as textual coordinates), textures distributed to users as graphics files (for example as a JPEG2000 file), and effects data rendered by the user's client computer according to the user's preferences and user's computer system device capabilities. Many VU's are represented using three dimensional (3-D) graphics and landscapes and are populated by many thousands of users or residents, often resembling the real world or fantasy/fictional worlds in terms of physics, houses, landscapes and in interpersonal communications with other users.
Large robust VU's and massively multiplayer online games, such as for example Second Life® (SECOND LIFE is a trademark of Linden Research, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries), Entropia Universe™ (ENTROPIA UNIVERSE is a registered trademark of MindArk PE AB in the United States, other countries, or both), The Sims Online™ (THE SIMS ONLINE is a trademark of Electronic Arts, Inc in the United States, other countries, or both), and There™ (THERE is a trademark of Makena Technologies, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both) render and display detailed, large and complex graphic environments within which users may travel and participate as if a character in an expressionistic or fantastical fictional world or within a realistic or representational approximation of real life.
VU's are also commonly defined with respect to VU regions, virtual areas of land within the VU typically residing on a single server, with each region amenable to provision and management by a one or more participating providers. In one aspect the size and complexity and variety of resources found in a VU is related to the number of providers participating and hosting regions through server hosting. And the success of a VU may depend upon attracting users and keeping them engaged and participating in the VU, thereby adding value to the providers who bear the cost in providing VU region content and services (and correspondingly expect an appropriate level of multiple-user engagement as a return on their investment), as well as for other users who wish to engage many others in a large virtual community. For example an informational or service-related region managed by a governmental or non-profit organization may desire or expect a given level of VU user engagement and participation, and commercial region providers may desire to engage in a given level of commercial transactions (e.g. sales) or achieve a level of marketing exposure among VU users.
In one aspect, the value of a VU to a user is dependent upon the comprehensive nature of the experience. Keeping users engaged and participating in a VU (thereby satisfying provider expectations) requires meeting user needs and expectations, otherwise the user will exit the VU and satisfy his needs elsewhere, for example through other VU or real-world resources. In one example VU's that strive to offer customer and informational services to users have difficulty in effectively offering comprehensive information to users. VU's do not offer the same robust search-and-retrieval options offered by the real-world, for example browser applications that may quickly search the Internet or other databases for information. And even if a browser function is incorporated, the nature of information retrieved (for example hyperlinks to web sites and text document references) takes the user out of the VU and experience: any illusion that the user is immersed within another world is destroyed, the user thus reminded of the outside or real world again, and once reminded may more quickly disengage from the VU experience and look elsewhere for the information sought, in some cases finding much more efficient means or competing providers and not returning to the VU.